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We previously advised ARCH members that the government had
formally launched the new
Estate Regeneration Advisory Panel, jointly chaired by Lord
Heseltine and Housing Minister Brandon Lewis.

The government is now seeking expressions of interest that would
lead to estate regeneration proposals as a precursor to formal
engagement with the Government Team and potential access to the
£140million fund announced by Prime Minister David Cameron.

The document 'Estate Regeneration -
Statement' published by the Department for Communities and
Local Government on 23 February sets out 15 guiding principles for
initial engagement with prospective new schemes. A more formal
arrangement for accessing the £140 million Estate Regeneration
Fund, and for assessment of bids for that fund, will be set in
train in due course.

Some of the key guiding principles for initial engagement with
the government Team are:

Schemes must deliver regeneration through the
redevelopment of existing social housing estates.

Development vehicles should be private sector
bodies or joint ventures and their leverage finance be
classed as private sector borrowing.

An assessment of whether multiple or innovative funding
sources are being considered including for example S106
agreements, Private Rented Sector partners, or innovative
approaches such as social impact bonds.

Community engagement - an indication of the level of
community support and what sort of consultation has been
undertaken and with whom.

How arrangements for existing residents are expected to
operate.The package must be clear, reasonable and fully
supportedand existing residents, including leaseholders, should be
entitled to remain on the redeveloped estate or offered equivalent
accommodation locally.

Ultimately schemes should deliver a net increase in new
housing supply and be value for money.

The DCLG Statement goes on to provide some examples of models of
estate regeneration schemes which have been implemented in the
past, to illustrate some different approaches to scheme design,
finance and structuring but stresses that these are illustrative
and the Government is not necessarily proposing they are
replicated.

There appears to be no deadline set for expressions of interest
but a specific email account has been set up for receiving
expressions of interest and general enquiries: EstateRegeneration@communities.gsi.gov.uk

ARCH welcomes any additional financial resources to support the
regeneration of poorly designed council housing estates and there
are some excellent examples of innovative work by stock retained
councils and ALMOs in regenerating poorly designed housing estates
built in the 60's and 70's some of which are referenced in the
Statement.

However,
the Savills Research report to the Cabinet Office, on
which the programme is based, focusses entirely on London and the
London property market.

ARCH welcomes the inclusion in the government's guiding
principles of a commitment to community engagement including how
arrangements for existing residents are expected to operate and an
expectation that any scheme must be clear, reasonable and fully
supported and that existing residents, including leaseholders,
should be entitled to remain on the redeveloped estate or offered
equivalent accommodation locally.

ARCH is intending to theme the next ARCH Regional Event around
estate regeneration. A speaker from the Government Regeneration
Team has been invited and ARCH members will be able to learn from
the experience of key players in some of the successful
regeneration projects referenced in the Government's Estate
Regeneration Statement.

A provisional date of 26 May 2016 has been set for the
next ARCH Regional Event to be held in London. Watch out for
further details.